Aim 2 assesses environmental influence on root-shoot communication by measuring six rootstock-scion combinations across three Central Valley California vineyards. We are exploring rootstock, scion and environmental interactions by measuring gene expression and a suite of phenotypes in the most widely planted red and white varietals ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ and ‘Chardonnay’ scions, which are grafted onto ‘5C,’ ‘Freedom’ and ‘1103P’ rootstocks in this region.
Figure 1. Scion rootstock combinations at three Central Valley vineyards.
 Chardonnay ready for harvest in the Central Valley of California.
Aim 2 presents an unparalleled opportunity to investigate 1) rootstock impacts on shoot system phenotypes across geographic space; and 2) differential effects of the same rootstock on different scions within an in situ context of primary commercial relevance to the U.S. grape and wine industry.
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Year 1 was dedicated to scouting out vineyards across California for detailed study and sampling in Years 2-4. Three environmentally distinct Central Valley vineyards were selected across a North to South transect. At these locations, both ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ and ‘Chardonnay’ scions are grafted to combinations of ‘5C’, ‘Freedom,’ and ‘1103P’ rootstocks (Figure 1). Extensive environmental data will be recorded, such as mean annual temperature, precipitation, humidity, and altitude at each site. Furthermore, cultivation practices (e.g., training system, orientation of rows, vine density), vineyard age, and soil parameters will be confirmed onsite. Physiological traits, ionic sampling, morphological measurements, and tissue collection for RNA-seq will be collected following a meticulous timeframe throughout vine development.
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